A Mother's Touch
by starrnobella
Summary: When a wrench gets thrown in their original plans for how they were going to spend Christmas, Nat and Charlie get into a little bit of spat. Can Molly help them work things out and still get to celebrate with her whole family? COMPLETE


**A/N:** This was my third piece for the Joy to the World Christmas Crossover Collection on AO3.

This story was prompted by the ever so wonderful SquarePeg72. She is always there when I need someone to talk to about a plot or a quick alpha read just before I post something to make sure it isn't complete trash. She's also always there for me when I need a friend. I don't know what I'd do without her! I hope you enjoy this story!

This was self-betaed, so I apologize for any mistakes you may find.

Check me out on social media if you are interested in keeping up with all of my works!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

Nat looked around the living room at the Burrow, noticing the sparkling lights and decorations donning every available surface of the room. She wasn't sure if the decorations made the room look festive or if it was just a giant mess that could have been completely avoided if the Weasleys weren't so into Christmas.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back into the sofa and took a deep breath. She only had to get through a few days with Charlie's family, and then the two of them would be off on a new adventure in Romania hunting a dragon. He had told her the exact breed, but she couldn't remember it off the top of her head right now.

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the sofa. Just a few more days and all of this insanity would be over. She wouldn't say that she hated Christmas, but she also wouldn't say that it was one of her favorite holidays on the planet. For the most part, she blamed her dislike of the holiday for her family's lack of celebration as she was growing up.

"You could at least pretend to be having a good time."

The voice startled her, causing her to quickly jerk her head forward and turning in the direction of the sound. She was greeted by a familiar goofy smile. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his softly.

"I am having a good time," she mumbled, resting her forehead against his.

"It doesn't look like it," Charlie replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling them both back against the cushions. He squeezed her tight and pressed his lips to the side of her head. "I know this isn't really your thing, but it means a lot to mum and dad that we're here. Even if it is for just a few days."

"I know it does." Nat sighed, resting her head against his shoulders. "But I'd be lying if I said I wanted to stay here longer."

"A longer stay?" Molly cheered, walking into the living room with a broad smile beaming proudly from her face. "Of course you two are welcome to stay here longer! In fact, I insist on it. I hated that you two weren't going to actually be here for the holiday, but with a longer stay..."

"Mum, we weren't talking about staying longer. I have to report to Newt in Romania in three days," Charlie replied, carding a hand through his hair. He hated to disappoint his mother, but this situation was out of his control. Not to mention the fact that he didn't want to torture Nat with more Christmas celebrations than she was ready to handle.

"I'm sure Newt won't mind if you two come the day after Christmas," Molly pleaded, taking a seat on the couch beside her son. She placed a gentle hand on his knee and batted her lashes at him. "Couldn't you send him an owl and see if he wouldn't mind pushing back the original plan?"

Charlie's eyes flitted back and forth between his mother's sad face and Nat's frustrated face. He didn't want to upset either of them, but it appeared that there was indeed no winner in this current situation. Why Molly had chosen to walk in at the very tail end of their conversation was beyond him, and now he had to figure out a way to solve this without upsetting everyone.

"Let me see if I can get ahold of Newt and I'll let you know what he says, Mum," Charlie said, hanging his head in defeat. He knew that he'd be able to make the situation up to Nat, but there was no making it up to Molly. Christmas was her absolute favorite time of the year, and he had spent far too many Christmases away from home, so he knew just how special it was to her for him to be here.

The squeal that escaped Molly's lips masked the audible groan that Nat let out as she pressed her head back against the back of the couch. She lifted her head again quickly when she felt Molly's arm wrapping around the two of them. She plastered a fake smile on her face when she noticed Molly's attention directed to her.

"This is just wonderful!" Molly said excitedly as she got up off the couch. "I'm going to go let everyone know that this year we might have a full house for Christmas morning. Neither of you knows how much this means to me."

Nat and Charlie smiled and nodded their heads as they watched her walk out and make her way into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of earshot, Charlie immediately directed his attention to Nat.

"I'm sorry," he said, carding a nervous hand through his hair. "I just couldn't stand that look of disappointment that she has been wearing since I told her we wouldn't be here for Christmas morning anymore."

"I thought you were stronger than that, Charlie. I'm going to go crazy if I have to do any more Christmas-y things the next couple of days," Nat whispered.

Charlie pouted his lower lip and batted his eyes a few times. "Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. I know you had miserable Christmas growing up, but why not start making new memories and changing the way you feel about the holiday?"

Nat pushed herself up off the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to face him. "What makes you think I want to change the way I feel about the holiday? Honestly, I'd be just fine if the damn thing didn't exist. I need some air."

She rolled her eyes and stormed away from the couch. As she approached the front door, she heard the creak of the couch as Charlie stood up and started to follow after her. Reaching for the doorknob, she glanced back over her shoulder and shook her head. "Don't follow me. I just need to be alone right now."

Charlie sighed and hung his head, nodding it slowly as he made his way back to the couch. As he collapsed onto the chair, he heard the slam of the door from the other side of the room. "Way to go, Weasley," he mumbled to himself as he leaned his head back against the couch cushions.

. . . . . . . .

Molly's heart broke as she leaned against the doorframe, listening to Charlie and Nat's conversation. Part of her felt guilty for eavesdropping, but the other part of her was just being a concerned mother. Charlie had told her a little bit about what Nat had been through growing up, but she had no idea it was so bad that she really hated Christmas. Maybe she had pushed her a little too far.

With a sigh, she pushed herself away from the door and walked over to grab her coat, slipping out the back door in search of Nat. She hoped that an apology and a heart to heart moment would be enough to convince her to stay and not be mad at Charlie. He was only trying to make an old woman happy after all.

Molly made her way around the burrow in search of Nat and soon found her, leaning up against the fence near the field. She smiled and proceeded that way. It was cold outside, and it appeared that Nat hadn't brought a coat out with her.

"It's awfully cold out here, don't you think?" Molly asked, announcing her presence in a way that seemed less startling than reaching out to touch her shoulder. However, her plan backfired slightly when Nat jumped at the sound of her voice.

Glancing back over her shoulder, Nat smiled and laughed. Somehow she knew that she wouldn't have been left alone long after the spat she and Charlie had. "I can't say I really noticed the cold. I must have been distracted by something else."

"Your fight with my son, perhaps?" Molly asked, leaning in on her elbows beside her. "I knew that you weren't a big fan of the holidays, but I didn't realize it ran so deep. If I would have known -"

Nat placed a gentle hand on Molly's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't have expected you to know. Please don't feel like you need to apologize. I'll be fine."

"I just don't want you to be mad at Charlie or blame him for any of this. He was just trying to make an old woman happy," Molly replied with a shrug.

Nat sighed and hung her head. She knew Molly was right and Charlie hadn't meant to upset her. He just didn't want to disappoint his mother so close to Christmas. There was a small part of her that wished she was as close to her family as Charlie was, but she knew that would never be possible for her at this point in her life.

Slowly she lifted her head and turned to face Molly. "I guess I should go and talk to him, huh?"

Molly smiled and nodded her head. "That might be for the best."

"Thanks, Molly," Nat said, turning to walk away from the fence.

"You can call me Mum if you'd like, but you don't have to," Molly replied, leaning back against the fence as she watched Nat walk back toward the Burrow. All she saw was the nod of Nat's head as she continued on, but she knew that there was a smile on her face or at least she hoped that there was.

. . . . . . . .

She found him sitting in the living room where she had left him in her storm out moments earlier. She smiled at the fact that at least he had been willing to wait for her to return and hope that they could find a way to work things out. She knew she was overreacting to the whole situation, but part of that was just the way that she was raised.

Crossing the living room, she stopped in front of the couch and bumped his foot with hers. "Is this seat taken?"

He looked up at her through hooded eyes and smiled softly. "It will be when you sit down."

Nat smiled and lowered herself into the seat beside him. Leaning over, she rested her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I -"

"I'm sor -"

They both turned to one another and started laughing. It hadn't been the first time that after a big fight they ended up apologizing at the exact same time.

"You go first," Charlie said, nudging her shoulder with his.

"I'm sorry I blew up at you earlier. I know you were just trying to make your mum happy," she replied, resting her chin on his shoulder and leaning her forehead against his cheek.

Charlie smiled and turned to kiss her forehead. "And I'm sorry for not trying to get us out of here on schedule. I know you aren't the biggest fan of Christmas, and I'm sure being here around all of this isn't helping any. I'll go find mum and tell her we need to leave in the morning."

Nat carded a hand through her fiery red locks and pressed her lips to Charlie's cheek. "Or we could stay through Christmas morning and tell Newt we'll meet him that evening. Besides, he should really spend some time with Tina before disappearing on another adventure."

"Really?" Charlie asked, his eyes sparkling with hope as he watched her nod her head. "What made you change your mind?"

Nat laughed softly to herself as she glanced at the doorway to the kitchen where she was certain Molly was listening intently to their conversation. "Just a chat with Mum and her reminding me that you were just trying to make her happy."


End file.
